The Broken King and the Dragon
by Aldara-Nerita
Summary: An easily-swayed human heart seeks to atone by the judgement of a dragon.


**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything of Vision of Escaflowne except my own interpretations. The original story is owned by Sunrise, with the english adaptation liscensed by Bandai Entertainment. Please support the official release when visiting our heroes online!

**Spoiler Alert:** This short story takes place shortly after the final events of the series. If you haven't taken the time to watch Escaflowne in its entirety, I highly suggest you do, simply for the sake of completing a wonderful, classic anime story.

**Summary:** An easily-swayed human heart seeks to atone by the judgement of a dragon.

* * *

The Broken King and the Dragon

"_Remembering, _

_everything,_

_about my world and when you came._

_Wondering,_

_the change you'd bring,_

_means nothing else would be the same."_

- We're So Far Away, Mae

The afternoon sun shone brightly far above the trees. Green canopies reached high into the heavens, extending upward into the sky towards the brilliant orb. It's sisters, the double moons of gray and blue, hovered nearby in the azure ceiling. Occasional clouds splattered shadows on top of the leaves, and a lone eagle swayed back and forth in the gentle breeze as he surveyed the forest below.

Within the trees' branches, songbirds of every color imaginable danced and twittered among the rays of light that reached downward. A small creek trickled nearby, creating a steady rhythm that blended into the birds' music. The creek would continue west until hitting a steep slope, down which it would gather speed and width as it passed a city.

This city was once magnificent and stately, and although it currently bustled with noise and chatter, the richness of it had almost disappeared. That was because the capitol of Fanelia had long ago been completely destroyed. Burned to the ground by an army of the Zaibach Empire, and hastily abandoned by its people, the city stood as an empty ruin for the better part of a year.

But the great battle of the Alliance and the Empire had come and gone several months ago. The fall of Emperor Dornkirk was known throughout all of Gaea, and the worries of tyranny had abated along with him. Now, the people of Fanelia had returned, and life was beginning to resurrect the city and community.

Fanelia was known for its lush, green lands. Surrounded by a mountainous region filled with thick forests, the castle was nestled comfortably between stone, earth, and wood. However, the country was also known for the dangers of what lay around it. Besides the natural hazards of wild animals, poisonous plants, steep cliffs, and even getting lost while exploring, the forests were inhabited by gigantic, wingless dragons. Living there for millenia, the reptiles had adapted to navigate the forests with ease, losing their ability to fly in order to better pursue prey between the thick trunks. With only two limbs and a long, broad tail, the beasts were formidable foes to anybody who dared enter their territory. Many had lost their lives pursuing them, both for honor and for rule. A king of Fanelia could not take the throne unless he had returned successfully with the heart of a dragon.

It was in this very area, where the shadows were dark and the bird song began to quiet with unease, that the king was currently walking. With nothing but the royal sword at his hip, Van Fanel, the present king of Fanelia, strode in the forest alone.

For the past few months, Van had managed to keep himself occupied while assisting with rebuilding the very country he called home. So much had been accomplished, and much more was left to do, but eventually he could no longer prevent his mind from wandering. And as his mind wandered, he began to worry. Internal doubts and questions arose, and he found he couldn't answer them while still within the walls of the capitol. To his dismay, he knew that no one around him could provide the answers he was looking for.

The one person that perhaps could offer him help wasn't here, and as much as he wished her to stand next to him, it wasn't his right to pull Hitomi from her home. Perhaps with just his wish, the pendant he wore would respond to his desires and she would appear. But, would that truly calm the worry in his heart?

He determined not so. This was something he had to find out for his own.

He paused in his stride, sighing deeply and inhaling the forest around him. The smell of bark and moss was comforting. It was familiar. Reaching up to his throat, he pulled at the small golden chain from which the rose-colored pendant hung. He observed it for a second, rolling the stone in between his fingers in thought.

Hitomi had proven something to him: he was quick to hate. Becoming king had led him to so much hate, his heart became drenched with it. And in order to relieve the anger that boiled inside, he turned to fighting. It was the most obvious answer at the time, the solution that would be quickest to alleviate that hatred. Besides, everyone else was fighting back in return. What other option had there been?

But over time, of which he realized too late, that fighting not only failed to lessen his anger, but it had brought him satisfaction. To defeat someone against you created a tremendous sense of accomplishment. It made the emotions worth the struggle.

But Hitomi...

Hitomi had proven to him that that hadn't been the answer people needed at all. But he had been angry for so long, he had become accustomed to it. Now he worried. He worried about whether it was still there, and he just couldn't tell anymore.

Dropping the pendant, Van breathed again to bring his mind back to the moment. Glancing around, everything remained still and peaceful. But he felt suddenly tense and alert, as if he had crossed some sort of invisible border into a new territory. It was a new realm that he, even as king, did not have true rule over.

Van continued his pace for some time, feeling the humidity begin to sink upon him as the land slanted slightly upward towards the mountains. The trees thinned up ahead, allowing more sunlight to brighten the forest floor, so he decided to head in that direction. Perhaps he could get his bearings and look for marks of the creatures he was searching for.

After a short distance, the trees gave way to a small clearing littered with a few boulders and flowing with tall grass. Wiping his forehead briefly, Van then pushed aside some low-set branches in order to enter the clearing. The grass grazed his thigh as he headed for the nearest boulder, which stood twice as tall as he. He figured it would be a good vantage point.

As he came up to it, he suddenly halted upon placing his hand on the stone. It was then he abruptly noticed that all sounds had ceased completely. The insects and the birds had simultaneously stopped, and he was left in utter silence.

When he lifted his head to look across the short clearing, he noticed why. He was being watched.

Although only the tip of its snout was extended into the sunshine, beyond the shadows of the trees shone two enormous eyes. Their gold irises reflected the sun in an intense glow that seemed almost strong enough to pierce through armor.

But Van returned the gaze. Then he stepped away from the boulder, facing the reptile directly. His lips smiled ever so slightly, and when it appeared as if the beast wouldn't move, he spoke.

"I've been looking for you," Van called. "I came here alone. So come and face me."

The dragon at first didn't move, but did eventually react. Creeping out slowly, it extended its ugly head into the sun, revealing a deep green hide of thousands of tightly placed scales, mimicking the greens and shadows cast by the trees. A long neck arched upward to show its height, and the broader scales underneath its throat and down its belly cast a golden hue of sandy earth.

When it stepped, Van felt the ground vibrate underneath him. The creature's broad shoulder pressed against the trees as it passed into the clearing, and the trunks groaned and creaked as they gave way to the massive weight. Branches snapped and scattered, the dragon not flinching in the slightest.

It continued to come out until it stood only a stone's throw away from Van. The clearing was small enough that the ends of its tail still stuck into the shadows, but the creature was close enough that Van could see the saliva dripping from its jaws and the tips of fangs protruding from between thick lips.

Then time paused, and all Van heard for several seconds was his own heartbeat in his ears.

He remembered to breath and blinked back to reality. The creature watched him, the eyes motionless with a patience Van had never noticed before.

"I came here seeking answers for myself," Van continued. Could the creature understand what he was saying? He had no way of knowing for sure, but perhaps his intentions would come across. He had no choice but to try.

"A king of Fanelia can only take the throne if he has a heart of a dragon to present. I, as current king, have too slain one of your kind and stolen what was his."

The beast remained silent, its eyes almost sparkling. Was it waiting for Van to physically move? Was it actually listening? Van lowered his head slightly, his gaze dropping from the dragon's for a moment. The world didn't disappear, nor did the beast move. Whatever it was waiting for, it wasn't actively seeking to strike. With this encouragement, Van continued, louder.

"So I ask of you: what is it that brought you here to see me?" He locked eyes with the dragon again. "Was it coincidence that we met? Are you hunting, and I just happened to be passing by? Perhaps you seek revenge for your fallen brothers? Or maybe..." Van moved, reaching across himself with his right hand to grasp the hilt of the royal sword. He withdrew it, the blade gleaming in the sun as it slid out of the sheath.

The dragon responded, growling lowly and widening its stance. Its head lowered, jaws gaping in order to bare teeth. A purple tongue hung inside, gleaming wet and sliding past fangs as the dragon's chest rumbled. Van stood, a smile coming to him as he watched.

"Or maybe it is hatred that has summoned you."

The dragon took one step forward, the ground shivering with the impact, and the grass bent underneath a great roar that bellowed forth. Van felt the air from its lungs, the heat and stench drifting far enough for him to sense it. But the king refused to move an inch, and the dragon didn't advance.

Instead, its great slit eyes blinked in wonder as the human before it extended his arm carrying the sword. Van held it perpendicular to him, the blade pointing away from the supposed target.

"Well, not anymore," he said tersely. He could feel his fear, how it threatened to come into his throat and choke him. But he forced it down, keeping the emotion at bay. "I didn't come to fight."

And with these words, the feelings dripped away, replaced with calm and confidence. With a swift movement, Van tossed the sword forward, the blade disappearing into the grasses to land softly. The dragon hesitated, only the membranes protecting its golden eyes quivering as it blinked.

"I've made my move, and now I have no weapon," Van stated loudly, lowering his arm back to his side. "So now, what will you do?"

The dragon's head rose slightly, turning so as to view him with just one eye. Its jaws closed, and the pupil could be seen adjusting and moving, glancing around him, at him, towards the city, to the ground where the sword lay, and back. It was as if the creature didn't know quite what to do, and was trying to calculate something in its mind.

It was a curious thing to see such a beast do. In the past, Van could only remember them being detestable, vicious, merciless monsters that preyed upon every living thing that had the misfortune of being discovered by them. A dragon didn't think. It simply acted.

But not this creature. It wouldn't be a stretch to say that this beast was _contemplating_ what to do.

Van wondered how long the dragon would ponder, but suddenly the quiet in the clearing shattered with the entrance of a new sound. It wasn't the pouncing of a new beast, or the attack of another dragon. In fact, it was one of the last sounds Van expected to hear.

"Lord Van!"

The wail pierced through the silence, startling the two beings in the clearing. Van whipped around instantly to see Merle, the young catgirl, having just leaped into the clearing through the trees. Her clothes were stained and dirty, several tears in the fabric revealing her hasty adventure through the forest. She was breathing heavily, her cheeks red with heat.

She had obviously been searching for him.

"Merle, no!" he managed to shout back, but in the same instant, a roar overcame him from behind. Glancing back over his shoulder, the dragon had stepped back in alarm, rearing its head. The choked growl that came from it, along with the wild shine in its eyes, revealed it's thoughts exactly to the king.

Betrayal. Deceit. Van had lied.

"No wait!"

Van tried to talk to it, but the dragon would hear nothing more. With a great bound, it stepped forward, charging through the clearing towards Merle with jaws open wide.

Merle shrieked, covering her face in fright.

Van reacted without thought. There was enough space for him to dash back to the catgirl ahead of the dragon. Spinning around, he took a defensive stance in front of her, extending his arms out before him like a wall.

The beast was upon them in an instant, but instead of opening its massive jaws to simply swallow them both whole, it dipped its head and twisted its neck. The impact was bone crushing, the heavy skull smashing Van aside as nothing more than a mere feather. Although her eyes were pinched shut, Merle felt the air stir as the snout whizzed past by a mere foot.

The king tumbled aside, skidding and rolling through the grasses. When he stopped, he tasted earth and the rusty linger of blood in his mouth. Struggling to stand, he got his head high enough to peer through the grass to see Merle on her knees, cowering. The dragon loomed over her, balancing carefully on one limb as it raised the other above her. It intended to crush her beneath its talons.

"Merle, run!" Van spat. "Get out of there!" But his voice couldn't reach her. She was frozen in terror and utterly exhausted from her previous running.

Frantically, the king grappled the grasses to pull him up, stumbling forward. His fingers found a stone a little bigger than his hand, and without much thought or aim, he hurled it at the monster.

"Let her be! She has no business with us!"

The stone missed its head, instead striking at the heavily plated neck. It bounced off the scales as nothing, but the obvious attack caused the dragon's attention to turn. The great eye swiveled back at him, and the pupil shrunk to a narrow slit. Fury rumbled deep within its belly. In a flash, the dragon plunged its foot down, missing the catgirl and instead turning to charge at Van again.

There was no time to avoid the collision, and the dragon again chose to strike him with its head, beating him back with a giant swing. The momentum of Van rolling backward was enough to lift him back onto his feet, but his vision was too blurry to make out his surroundings. The air shifted in front of him, and he received a blow to his torso. The force carried him back until he struck solid rock behind.

His motion had stopped, but the force in front and force behind refused to give way. Blinking his eyes, Van found his hands resting on the tail of the dragon. He was pinned between the creature and one of the large boulders in the clearing. He tried vainly to move and shift his body, but the weight of the tail was too much to move on his own without assistance, and his feet provided no leverage as they dangled just above the ground.

He inhaled sharply, the effort tremendous as the tail pressed against him. When his breath came out, Van coughed once violently. Blood sprinkled the reptilian hide.

The dragon was peering around its own body at him, eyes glowing menacingly.

It then turned slowly back to Merle, who now looked upon the scene with a silent horror. It appeared as if she tried to speak, but nothing came as her lips moved. A low growl echoed from deep inside the dragon, and a soft glow became visible underneath the scales of its chest. It then raised its head slightly, jaws parting as it prepared to unleash its greatest weapon, fire, to envelope the intruder.

"No, just wait!" Van shouted again. "Just listen! Listen to me!"

Merle blinked in surprise at the king's demand. The reptile apparently had the same reaction, for it snapped its jaws shut and brought its head back to glare.

Van took a few breaths, shallow and harsh, now that he had the creature's attention.

"I did come alone," he said through clenched teeth. "I never intended to have anyone besides myself. I did not lie to you. She came of her own accord, and I did not desire her here."

When nothing happened or changed in the dragon's demeanor, Van kept talking.

"It must be hurtful to you," he said. "No wonder it makes you so angry, thinking you've been lied to. People come and hunt you. People come into your lands with every intention of murder and thievery. And yet they claim their actions justified through elimination of something barbaric and evil.

"We have hatred in our hearts too, you know," he said more directly to the creature. Did it truly understand him? What did it matter, though? He had to get his message across.

"I'm sorry," he admitted, lowering his head. "I'm sorry for what has happened in the past. For what we've done to you. Our anger and resentment only summoned more desires to kill. It truly leads only to more conflict and either side's search for retribution. And that is why..."

Van paused, struggling to swallow. The pressure from the tail hadn't lessened during his chat, and his vision swayed slightly. Air was difficult to gasp in, and his strength was fading.

"...that is why you always came to fight us."

Merle still sat on her knees, hands up to her mouth.

"Oh Lord Van..." she mumbled.

The dragon swiveled its head to view her again after she spoke. She squeaked in surprised, pushing herself back to fall clumsily into a seated position, one hand up in a pitiful attempt to block the dragon from her.

But the dragon didn't move. It's eyes shone; it was thinking again. That strange patience returned in its look. When it peered back over its shoulder to the king, it growled softly, raising its tail upward.

The motion was painful for Van, and he yelped as the weight shifted. But his head came up, and the dragon was looking expectantly at him.

"My name..." Van struggled to say. "...is Van Fanel, king of Fanelia. My kingdom is broken, as am I...I came here...to relinquish...all the anger of my people...

"So please...please don't hurt her," he said faintly.

"No, Lord Van!" Merle protested, jumping to her feet. The dragon rounded on her, but stopped when the young man shouted again.

"Merle, stop!"

The girl froze.

"Don't interfere. Just trust me."

Merle obeyed, focusing instead on the giant reptile. She wished and wished for it to go away, that maybe if she wished hard enough it would actually happen.

Once more the beast looked behind it, staring at its captive. It appeared as if the dragon's thoughts and patience would be too long for Van's ability to stay conscious. However, when it finally seemed as if nothing else was going to happen, that the air seemed completely stagnant in the clearing, the beast moved.

It pulled its tail away from the boulder, and Van immediately sunk to collapse in the grasses, disappearing.

The king didn't get up.

Merle squeaked as he fell, immediately clapping her mouth shut when she realized she had made the sound. The dragon twisted its neck to look towards her. The catgirl felt her entire being tremble under its gaze, but the creature didn't advance.

Instead, it turned towards the part of the clearing where it had first entered. Its steps were steady, the grasses being temporarily pressed into large footprints as it walked. Dipping its head, the dragon stepped into the shadows of the trees, snaking its way between them. Even after the tip of its tail had been swallowed by the darkness, its footsteps could be felt in the ground.

When the earth finally stopped shaking, Merle moved.

"Lord Van! Lord Van!" She made a mad dash into the clearing, dropping to all fours in her frenzy to get to him. She found him in no time, the man face down and apparently not having moved at all since he hit the ground.

The girl approached, placing her hand on his shoulder to shake him gently.

"Oh Lord Van, please get up," she begged. She paused to wipe at her eyes, tears building and threatening to spill over her cheeks. "Wake up!"

Eventually the man stirred, shifting slightly and managing to open an eye.

"It's okay, Merle. I'm awake," he said muffled. With a grimace, he tried to pull his arms underneath him to push himself up. The task proved more difficult than he anticipated, and he ended up flat back on the ground. His second attempt was more successful, this time with Merle assisting him as best she could.

When Van determined that he had enough steadiness to sit up, he pulled his legs underneath in order to sit back against the boulder he had not too long ago been trapped by. He let his head fall back and breathed a few times, slowly and painfully, allowing his lungs to expand and release at their will.

Merle was incredibly patient during this whole ordeal, but finally she couldn't hold her worry back anymore.

"Oh Lord Van, why did you do it?" she blurted out. "Why did you wander off on your own in the forest? So many people wondered where you went and are worried about you!"

"Is that why you came after me? Because others were worried?" he asked softly, keeping his eyes closed.

"No!" she nearly shouted. "I came because no one else was doing anything!" She sounded almost angry, as if she was getting in trouble for a bad thing someone else did.

"I didn't ask anyone to join me for a reason," Van told her.

Merle puffed herself up, feeling the heat rise in her cheeks.

"That's stupid!" She did yell this time, and Van opened his eyes in mild surprise.

"These woods are dangerous! You could have been killed! And what good would that have done?" She asked, her fingers clasping into tight fists. When her tears finally did spill, she looked away in shame. "Then Fanelia would once again have had a king taken away from it."

Van didn't reply, but his gaze dropped towards the ground with regret.

Merle sniffed, rubbing her cheeks with the back of her hand.

"You should have at least had someone accompany you, instead of just leaving. That was really mean of you to do."

Merle was on her knees beside him, one hand at her face and the other on the ground for balance. Van reached out to place his own hand on top of hers. She paused to look at him when he did this. He wore a faint smile.

"I'm sorry, Merle. I should be thankful that you came after me when no one else did."

"So why did you leave?" She asked again.

"I had to know for sure," he said, looking upward towards the tree tops on the other side of the clearing. "It's something my brother told me a while ago. 'Anger and fear only lead to conflict.' I became so accustomed to those feelings in my own being, they became normal. So normal I didn't even know they were there for the longest time."

Merle watched him quietly, and his gaze drifted to some far away place.

"It was Hitomi that helped me remember them," he explained. Merle sighed at her name, her own thoughts drifting to the girl from the Mystic Moon. "But I feared that I still held so much within me. I just had to know, Merle. I had to know if my heart was still holding on to so much anger. If it did, the dragon would have felt that anger and retaliated. If not, then I knew it would let me live."

With a groan, he pushed himself forward, pulling a knee up to rest an arm on it.

"Lord Van, are you going to be all right?" Merle asked concerned. He smiled, almost chuckling.

"I'm beat up, but I'm not dead. I'll be all right, I promise." His look darkened slightly, a more serious tone coming from him. "My brother's words were true, Merle. We saw it happen with the war against Zaibach. The whole world of Gaea witnessed it. A king that holds such feelings will only contaminate his good intentions; an internal poison with no cure. My country deserves a better ruler than that."

"You're an excellent ruler!" Merle instantly asserted. "Fanelia needs you!" Van looked at her rather startled, and then laughed a little. She almost looked comical, her eyes puffy and cheeks red, mismatched by a strong defiant expression.

"Well, I do hope to be."

Merle lowered her eyes, hesitating. But then she spoke again, almost shyly.

"It was sad to hear what you said back there, when the dragon held you down."

"Hm?" He looked at her curiously. The younger girl looked him right in the eye, her face set in a frown.

"Fanelia may be broken, but we're fixing it. And I hate to hear you call yourself the same, because you're really not, you know?" She then offered her own smile, her first towards him since the two had been reunited that afternoon. The gesture made all the difference, lighting up her face with its usual youthful energy. "We're all here with you. People hold each other together so they _don't_ break. That's one of the things friends do."

Van didn't have a response to this and could only stare back surprised. After a moment, he smiled too.

"You're just amazing, Merle."

"Huh?" The catgirl tilted her head in confusion, but Van merely shook his head.

"Here, help me get up. I need to see if I can walk."

Although she almost protested, she then realized that she could hardly carry him back all the way to the castle. So placing his arm around her shoulders, she eased him up to stand. Although incredibly stiff, and his right arm not wanting to swing backwards all the way, both legs seemed to respond rather well. With a little guidance here and there to keep himself steady, Van managed to walk across the clearing.

While Van supported himself against a tree, Merle quickly roamed the clearing to find the royal sword. She insisted that they don't leave without it. Van then realized that the sheath was also missing from his side, but it was shortly discovered in several pieces by his friend. The blade had missed the turmoil in the clearing completely, and Van assured the catgirl with him that a new sheath could be made.

After a few minutes down the path, Van asked to stop for a short bit. He suddenly remembered something, and reaching towards his collar, he was relieved to see the rose-colored pendant still dangling securely from the golden chain around his neck.

It also had survived the entire dragon encounter. In fact, the surface didn't hold a single scratch or nick at all. But Van came up with an idea.

"Here, Merle. I want you to hold onto this." He began to finger the clasp to take the necklace off, but Merle protested.

"No way! Hitomi gave that to you! She intended you to keep it, Lord Van."

"Relax, it's okay," he reassured her. He got the clasp unhooked and held it to her as she stood next to him. Taking one hand away from steadying him, she let the pendant and chain fall into her palm. "I just need you to hold onto it for a while. I'll ask for it back later, okay?"

She eyed him doubtfully, still anxious about the idea.

"I'm going to be very busy for a while," he explained. "Fanelia has a lot of work left to do before we get anywhere near where we were beforehand. I'll have to do my part in helping us get there. And you're right – this is something very special. I need a safe place to keep it so I don't worry. I'm trusting you to protect it for me. Can you do that?"

Merle eyed him for a bit, wonder lighting in her eyes. Then she nodded an affirmation.

"Right. You can count on me, Lord Van!"

He nodded back to her, and together the two continued their way slowly through the forest. Within a matter of minutes, the sounds of buzzing insects and twittering birdsong floated around them again, and the pair had no other encounter with a roaming dragon as they returned to the castle and people of Fanelia.

End


End file.
